TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building, and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Jesse Gutierrez, Principal Planner - Sustainability
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 4 to Agreement No. 240241B with Ascent Environmental, Inc. for adoption hearings support for the Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Amendment No. 4 to Agreement No. 240241B with Ascent Environmental, Inc. to extend the term to December 31, 2027, and to increase the contract maximum from $888,710 to $930,310 for continued specialized services supporting adoption hearings for the Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, continued project management, and minor corrections to the final Plan, if necessary. (Fiscal Impact: $41,600 Expense; General Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
In June 2019, Napa County, the Cities of American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, and St. Helena, and the Town of Yountville adopted Resolutions emphasizing the "Countywide Commitment to Address Climate Change." Following the Resolutions, all six jurisdictions came together to form the Climate Action Committee (CAC) via the signing of a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). The CAC consists of two elected appointees from each of the jurisdictions for a total of 12 members.
At the October 6, 2022, meeting of the Napa County League of Governments (NCLOG), which included representatives from all six jurisdictions, there was broad support for proceeding with a Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) to provide a policy and implementation framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions.
At their meeting on May 16, 2023, the County Board of Supervisors directed staff to prepare and issue a Request for Proposals to consultants to prepare a RCAAP. The plan would provide a policy and implementation framework for reducing GHG emissions.
On November 27, 2023, the CAC unanimously affirmed staff’s recommendation of Ascent’s proposal for specialized services to develop a RCAAP and associated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The RCAAP will identify specific measures and actions to reduce GHG and adapt to climate change within the jurisdictions of the JPA.
Agreement No. 240241B between Napa County and Ascent Environmental Inc. was approved by the County Board of Supervisors on December 19, 2023. As part of the development of the RCAAP measures and actions, Ascent and supporting staff held six community outreach focus groups to discuss the region’s most pressing concerns with organizations that work directly with residents in the region. The six focus groups highlighted conversations with organizations working with- Families, Youth, Community Organizations, Agricultural focus, Public Health, and Multi-Language Services. The project launched a public facing website climateactionnapa.konveio.com on which the public could participate.
Ascent has delivered memos from their research and studies supporting the measures and actions of the RCAAP. The GHG inventory memo, completed in 2022 by Ascent, is the baseline information for updating and forecasting GHG emissions. In addition to the GHG inventory memo, Ascent, with assistance from the project team composed of County and City staff, drafted GHG reduction measures and actions. In April 2024 the final Climate Vulnerability Assessment (VA) was presented which identifies and analyzes climate change effects that will impact Napa County and will aim to improve community resilience in the face of changing climate. These memos along with several other deliverables serve as the background and data for the RCAAP and are included as appendices to the final RCAAP document.
On January 24, 2025, the CAC directed project staff to establish an All Staff Working Group (ASWG) made up of staff from each of the six jurisdictions to facilitate conversations at the staff level to help with review of the public and final draft RCAAP, the draft Initial Study, the response to comments memo, and other related documents. The ASWG and municipal agency leadership agreed to move forward with an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) to evaluate the potential environmental effects resulting from the RCAAP.
According to the IS/MND, the RCAAP would not have any potentially significant environmental impacts after implementation of mitigation measures. The IS/MND was made available for public review from July 30, 2026, to August 31, 2026.
The proposed final RCAAP, the IS/ MND, and the RCAAP StoryMap are all available on project web pages - <https://climateactionnapa.konveio.com/> and <https://connect.napacounty.gov/RCAAP/>
On October 23, 2026, the CAC voted to approve a resolution recommending that all CAC member jurisdictions adopt the final RCAAP and adopt the IS/MND and consider accompanying documents. At the same meeting the CAC members approved the reallocation of $41,600 from the adopted FY26-27 CAC budget placeholder tasks to cover RCAAP adoption hearing and presentations support and extend the consultant project management timeline to cover adoption hearings at the six jurisdictions and through final delivery of the RCAAP document.
Amendments
This Amendment No. 4 will cover continued and additional specialized services supporting adoption hearings for the RCAAP, continued project management, and minor corrections to the final RCAAP, if necessary. Amendment No. 4 will increase the maximum compensation by $41,600. The maximum payments after Amendment No. 4 under the Agreement will now total $930,310 ($719,270 for professional services and $211,040 for expenses).
Amendment No. 3 covered support for the development of the RCAAP, contingency costs, and the preparation of the IS/MND. Services included continued project management and coordination, and meetings support. Deliverables included an IS administrative draft, IS public draft, MND, administrative draft response to comments memorandum, final response to comments memorandum, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and meeting support. Amendment No. 3 increased the maximum compensation by $130,000. The maximum payments after Amendment No. 3 under the Agreement totaled $888,710.
Amendment No. 2 covered services for legal support for the preparation and completion of the RCAAP and the accompanying CEQA document. This includes review and feedback of the administrative and screen check drafts of the draft and final RCAAP, administrative and screen check drafts of the CEQA document, reviewing public comments received by the County on the RCAAP and the CEQA document and providing legal support in drafting responses to such comments, and interfacing with Ascent and County staff and officials, including, as needed, attendance at public meetings and/or closed sessions of the decisionmakers. Amendment No. 2 increased the maximum compensation by $82,400. The maximum payments after Amendment No. 2 under the Agreement totaled $758,710.
Amendment No. 1 covered additional costs and work not budgeted in the initial agreement. Additional support included updates and revisions to emissions forecasts, revisions to GHG measures, revisions to the Climate VA and adaptation measures, ensuring RCAAP is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, support for an additional community outreach meeting, additional CAC meeting support, additional project coordination and management, and small contingency budget. Amendment No. 1 increased the maximum compensation by $76,750. The maximum payments after Amendment No. 1 under the Agreement totaled $676,310.
The original Agreement No. 240241B was for a maximum of $599,560 of which $500,000 was paid through a budget allocation obtained by former State Senator Bill Dodd and the remainder split between the municipalities on a pro rata basis.
Cost Share
Costs related to Amendment No. 4, which will increase the maximum compensation by $41,600, will be divided among the municipalities. The approved Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Climate Action Committee Budget included placeholder budgeted amounts that will cover this increase. CAC member jurisdictions do not need to return to their councils to request additional CAC funds. In accordance with the cost-sharing formula agreed to in the JPA, the member jurisdictions are responsible for paying for costs under the Amendment, as follows:
Napa County $13,728
Napa $12,438
American Canyon $5,325
St. Helena $3,536
Calistoga $3,453
Yountville $3,120
Total $41,600
Requested Actions:
Approve and authorize Amendment No. 4 to Agreement No. 240241B with Ascent Environmental, Inc. increasing the contract maximum by $41,600 for a new contract maximum of $930,310 for continued and additional specialized services supporting adoption hearings for the RCAAP, continued project management, and minor corrections to the final RCAAP, if necessary.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Preparation of a Climate Action Plan is included in both the General Plan and the Strategic Plan and has been supported by the Board of Supervisors in several Resolutions. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The project will be completed in FY 2026-2027. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The County and other jurisdictions will have to prepare/update individual Climate Action Plans. There will be reduced cooperation and coordination in regional greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts, and potentially less access to future grant and/or state funding. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.